Substance Abuse Data, Research, and Reports: MHSA Decision Support

The Decision Support Unit allows agency executives, staff, and stakeholders to make data-driven decisions, while also informing policy and practice in mental health and substance abuse through data. Functions include the following:

PROGRAM EVALUATION — evaluating mental health and substance abuse service programs, including developing data reports that monitor compliance with programmatic and contractual requirements.

Texas School Survey of Drug and Alcohol Use

The Texas School Survey of Drug and Alcohol Use is conducted biennially by the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Division (MHSA), which replaced legacy agency Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse (TCADA) in 2004. Since the project began in 1988, over 60 percent of all school districts in Texas have participated at least once and over 2 million students have completed surveys. The survey instrument includes prevalence of substance use in addition to demographic, well-being, and attitudinal measures.